Kentucky's Castell cashes in on the road vs Texas A&M.
Kentucky · Texas A&MKentucky's Castell cashes in on the road vs Texas A&M. Kentucky safety Jordan Castell earned national honors after his standout performance in the Wildcats' 31-21 upset win.
Castell has been named the Panini Senior Bowl Defensive Player of the Week after anchoring Kentucky's 31-21 upset of No. 9 Texas A&M on the road, a result that ended the Aggies' stay in the Associated Press top 10, dropping 14 spots to No. 23 in the Sundays AP Top 25 latest drop. The Aggies' quarterback finished 26 of 49 for 236 yards with a touchdown and two picks—a rough follow-up to a start that had him among the SEC's hottest passers through two weeks.
It wasn't Castell's first big moment at Kyle Field. He intercepted a pass in the same building a year earlier while at Florida , giving him takeaways there in back-to-back seasons for two different SEC programs.
Castell left Florida for Kentucky this offseason largely to reunite with defensive coordinator Jay Bateman, who coached him early in his college career—and who came to Lexington straight off two seasons running Texas A&M's own defense. Bateman wasn't the only one in Kentucky's defensive backfield room with Aggieland ties.
KEY POINTS
- A week after the Kentucky Wildcats watched a 17-13 halftime cushion against Alabama dissolve into a 45-17 defeat, safety Jordan Castell delivered the signature performance of the Wildcats' season—and it's now been rewarded on a national stage.
- 🚨 Defensive Player of the Week 🚨 Jordan Castell led Kentucky with 13 tackles and a PBU, while adding a crucial fourth-quarter INT in a huge 31-21 road win over Texas A&M!
- The senior transfer's line speaks for itself: a game-high 13 tackles, a pass breakup and, with 6:34 to play, an interception in Kentucky's own territory that snuffed out Texas A&M 's best chance at a comeback.
- Kentucky intercepted Reed twice — linebacker Sam Greene had the other, the first pick of his career — and stuffed Texas A&M on three separate fourth-down tries, repeatedly flipping field position against a team that opened as a 16.5-point favorite.